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Jimmy Williams
In a bipartisan move, Congress passed a short-term funding bill on Wednesday to avert a government shutdown, removing a controversial voter ID proposal demanded by former President Donald Trump. The Senate passed the measure 78-18, shortly after the House approved it by a vote of 341-82, with all opposition coming from Republicans.
The bill, negotiated between House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and top Democrats, will keep the government funded at current levels through Dec. 20, setting up another spending fight just before the holidays. It also allocates an additional $231 million for the Secret Service, including funds related to the 2024 presidential campaign following two apparent assassination attempts on Trump.
The voter ID proposal, known as the SAVE Act, was initially tied to the funding package at Trump’s urging. However, it was removed after a similar bill failed in the House last week. Despite Trump’s insistence that Republicans should shut down the government unless the measure was enacted, Johnson opted to strip out the election legislation, citing concerns about political fallout so close to the Nov. 5 election.
“I’m not defying President Trump,” Johnson told reporters. “His concern is election security, and it is mine, as well. It is all of ours.” Johnson blamed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for not taking up the SAVE Act as a stand-alone bill, saying, “We passed the SAVE Act in the summer, and it’s been sitting on Chuck Schumer’s desk collecting dust.”
The decision to pass the funding bill without the voter ID provision highlights ongoing tensions between Trump and congressional Republicans. Johnson argued that a government shutdown just days before Election Day would be “political malpractice” and would play into the hands of Democrats.
The vote also saw House Republican leaders relying heavily on Democratic votes to pass the continuing resolution. The bill required two-thirds support to advance under the expedited process of “suspension of the rules” because Johnson’s conservative allies on the Rules Committee did not support moving the bill through regular channels.
Senate Majority Leader Schumer praised the outcome, noting, “There will be no shutdown because, finally, at the end of the day, our Republican colleagues in the House decided to work with us.”
Despite averting an immediate shutdown, the legislation only funds the government through Dec. 20, setting up another potential crisis during the postelection lame-duck session. Congressional leaders will have to negotiate another funding bill once the balance of power in the next Congress is determined.
The passage of the bill also underscores the divide within the Republican Party over how to approach government funding and election security, with some Republicans pushing for harder stances and others advocating a more pragmatic approach.
“The vast, vast majority of Congress does not want a shutdown,” said Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., signaling hope for a more collaborative process when lawmakers reconvene in December.
